Automatic fire extinguisher and alarm



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2..

I.T.DYER.

AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHBR AND ALARM. No. 392,951. Patented Nov.13,1888.

' mwm am NITED TATES ISAAC T. DYER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TOTHE DYER RAILWAY AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHER COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

AUTOMATIC FI RE EXTINGUISHER AND ALARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No 392,951, dated November13, 1888,

Application filed December 2, 1887. Serial No. $256,744.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be itknown that I, Isaac T. DYER, acitizen of the United States, and aresident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Fire Extinguishers andAlarms, of which the following is a specification.

Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a vertical section of a two-story building,showing a portion of my apparatus in position for use; Fig. 2, Sheet 2,an enlarged view of the watersupply pipe, the perforated discharge pipe,connecting pipe, the valve in the pipe, and its stem. Fig. 3 is a faceview of an electric alarm with the position of the valve-stem in dottedlines on it as when an alarm is given. Fig. 4 is a horizontal View ofthe electric alarm. Fig. 5. is a broken elevation of one of theperforated pipes, which is preferably employed to pro tect the fabriccord from injury. Fig. 6 represents a bed over which a pipe projects toeject water onto an occupant to awake him in case of fire.

This invention relates to improvements for automatically putting outfires in buildings, vessels, and other places and giving at the sametime an alarm. The building is supplied with water-tanks, supply-pipes,and perforated discharge-pipes at such places in compartments as arenecessary to put out fires, and there are laid about said compartments aseries of fiber cords or strings, and the cord in each compartment isconnected with the stem of a water-valve, so as to hold it in positionto shut off the water so long as the cord remains intact; but so soon asthe cord is severed by fire the weighted valve-stem turns down bygravity, opens the valve, lets the water onto the fire, and in turningdown it operates a spring which puts an electric alarm in operation, sothat a watchman can shut off the water and not have the compartmentflooded after the fire is extinguished. Heretofore such water-valveshave been closed by electrical attachments and the wires have been atintervals connected by certain metal alloys which will fuse at the lowtemperature of about 180, so that when a compartment becomes that hotthe metal will disconnect the wires and the water will belet on. It isfound, how- .it supply-pipes F F.

(No model.)

ever, impracticable to place this fusing metal near enough together toprevent a considerable headway of fire in certain parts of a room beforethe metal is fused. By the use of small strong fiber cord to hold thewater-valve closed a fire will sever it before the temperature of a roomat 50 is raised to and the water will be let on the fire andextinguishit by the time the alarmed watchman can enter the compartment and turnoff the water. In the lower portions 60 of a room adjoiningstore-shelving, and other places where the cord might be accidentallysevered, I protect it by perforated tubes which freely admit flame.

Fully to show how my extinguisher may be applied, B represents a lowerwater-tank, which takes water by means of a pipe, L.

I elevate the water by air-pressure, and in doing this I prefer, first,to put the air by the pump H and pipes \Vf into an upper tank, E, andthen by means of the same pipe f let the air into pipe Z,which connectswith the pump H,

a cock, J, being employed as a cut-off, and a safety blow-off, K, forair-pressure. A standpipe, T, connects with thetank B F and with Shortpipes S are also connected with the stand-pipe for hose attachments.Below the pipes F F are placed perforated'pipes G G, which areconnected, respectively, with pipes T and V, and in the pipe V is placeda valve, Z, for shutting off water till the cord is burned off. The cordat the bottom of the room is shown at D,-and it extends, by means ofeye-hooks U, up the walls and across the ceiling, and is fastened to 8the weighted valve-stem 0 g, and thus holds it up till the cord isburned off. \Vhen the valve-stem falls down, it opens the valve Z andlets the water into the perforated pipe G, and from thence into the roomwhere the fire is, 0 and at the same time the valve-stem strikes againstthe spring I) and brings it onto the push-button of the electric alarma, and a con nection is made whereby a bell is rung at any place wherethe electric apparatus is located. 9 5

Nothing new is claimed in regard to the alarm except the spring I) andthe valve-stem O,operating thereon. Dotted line at shows the position ofthe spring when the connection is made by the valve-stem 0, also dottedlines. I00

X, Fig. 4, shows a pipe leading from a perforated water-pipe, G, to abed, Y, to awake a sleeping occupant. M represents a pipe from tank F,by which by means of a cock, N, water may be had in the attic O.

It is obvious that the means shown for elevating water are not neededwhere buildings are supplied by water-works. The distinction between mydevices and others is that I use a fabric cord instead of fusible-metalconnections, and that the burning of the cord lets on the water byreleasing the valve-stem 0, so that it by gravity will swing down, andin so doing connect the circuit and give an alarm. While others employfusible-metal sections to break a closed circuit, whereby theWatervalve, which has to keep the water off, is per mitted to turn andlet the water on, by my devices the cords act direct on the water-valveand the valve-stem acts to connect the circuit. In other devices theelectromagnet is employed'to operate water-valves, and the alarm isgivenby breaking the circuit. When the water is to be shut off, pull the stem0 up by the wire cable m, attached to the stem 0 and brought over apulley, n. -This will also bring the stem from the spring Z), and thebell will cease to ring.

'In the foregoing I have shown and described certain mechanism forelevating'water in buildings, but have not claimed any portion thereofin this application, and therefore reserve such mechanism for a separateapplication in an appropriate class in the Patent Oflice.

I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent A fire extinguisher andalarm consisting of a pipe, T, leading from a water-supply tank, F, anda sprinkling-pipe, G, and supply-pipe F, the latter connected with thepipe T,which pipes F G are connected by a pipe,V, in which is placed avalve, Z, provided with a weighted stem, 0 g, in combination with afabric cord, D Q, which is extended around a compartment and attached tothe stem 0 to hold the valve Z shut, and a spring, b, located over anelectric push-button, whereby the burning of the cord at any point willpermit the weighted stem to swing down, open the valve Z, and make anelectric connection by bringing the spring 1) onto the said push-button,as specilied.

, ISAAC T. DYER. Witnesses:

G. L. CHAPIN, ANNA D. JOHNSON.

